Second Thoughts?
by Hellmouth23
Summary: Kate is back from Othersville and finally getting to know what being alone is like. Set a few weeks after the events of what happened in the end of "The Other Woman". Jate M rated two shot. Minor season 4 references. CHAP 2 UP GUYS.
1. Chapter 1

**Second Thoughts?**

**It seems that the spontaneous jump in the Jacket development has sparked a raging fire within me and what better way to ignite it by writing some good old Jate, since we seem to be going through a bit of a dry spell at the moment, but I say that if things are as spontaneous as what happened in the end of the sixth episode, then I wonder if a Jate reconciliation is arriving a lot sooner than expected. Hang in there guys cause of what I've seen of this episode we still stand more of a chance to come out of this victorious. Anyhoo in the meantime I hope you guys will like this little thingie I wrote in a fit of extreme rage at the time, but now realisation has hit and it all makes jaterrific sense to me. I hope it does for you guys as well ;)**

**Summary : Set a few weeks after Jack and Juliet's second kiss. They still haven't heard from the freighter, but life continues to go on for one Miss Austen who's feeling more alone than ever.**

Enjoy

In all her months she spent on this island she had never felt such a sense of unease being here. For once she was longing for rescue to come because after having been told something that shattered her heart to smithereens, she felt that she had no reason to be here. Nothing to look forward to anymore other than the reality of her life, a life behind bars which oddly seemed like the best solution in her mind at the moment. A freeing one if that made a lick of sense to any normal person.

"Kate?" she heard an unknown voice call out in the form of a plea from behind her, and she literally used all the will in her body to regard the voice with a response, cause to be honest she wasn't in an all helping mood at the moment.

"Hey, um……"

"It's Dan." the tall, sturdy man chipped in with the hint of a smile gracing his features, but it soon faded to only be replaced by an expression of complete discomfort, which lead the brunette across from him to go into alert mode.

"Is everything okay?" she asked anyway while already allowing her hands to reach out for his weakening form. The reason for this change becoming clear to her when she placed her hand over the surface of his slightly dampened forehead. The expanse so hot that it almost forced her to flinch in return, but in the end she resorted to acting on her instinct, and that was acquiring the nearest form of help, but was she ready to face him again and not envision that scene playing in her head again. The constant reminder being made known to her over the past few weeks when she constantly witnessed them cuddling, kissing and basically acting like two love sick teenagers.

The way he had so tenderly kissed her, embraced her and constantly assured her that he would protect her no matter what, and what stunned her to say the least was that he barely knew this woman, but still he seemed to be going forward with this relationship and moving on from what she was convinced he wanted with her instead.

It was one of the reasons she came back.

"Kate I ….." she was reminded yet again, and then snapped out of her reverie as a result. The one place where all her dreams and fantasies became a reality, preferably in the form of a gorgeous brown eyed Doctor. Speaking of the Doctor, where was he? And why was she suddenly the second "Doctor" in command when he was supposedly unavailable. Although those plaguing thoughts would have to be pushed to the side for the moment cause they were more important things to deal with. Starting with the withering person next to her. His survival depending on her basic learning to cure such an illness.

"Sorry, here let's get you back to my tent." she instructed before she even took the time to think of what she had just suggested. She was no Doctor and certainly not one who could compare to the one she was desperately infatuated with. Never the less her legs seemed to continue on with the thankfully short journey to her shelter. Her breath being let out in relief when she spotted the small section in the corner of her tent where she stashed the basic things like pills, bandages and all.

Her lie down and drink some of this." she quickly gestured for him to lie on the previously cluttered make shift bed and when he followed through with her instruction, she then retrieved the half empty bottle of water she had been carrying in her pack and gently positioned it at it's designated area.

"That's it, good, good." she coaxed and let out a brief smile at the many times she had heard him say it to his patients and even her for that matter. _Those were the good times, _she reminded herself. A time she wished she could have gone back to, to perhaps change things, but who was she really kidding.

"I…..uh… ahhhh." she heard the figure below her mumble along with a string of words that made no apparent sense to her but she estimated that it was probably due to the strong fever he had developed as a result of staying in the scorching heat of the sun for too long. Plus the fact that their stock of food on the beach had become somewhat of a scarcity could also be another plausible reason for this man's illness, but she was considerably relieved that whatever she had given him along with the water had managed to calm him and his condition into a peaceful slumber. The sight reminding her of yet another memory.

_(Flashback 3 and a half months ago)_

"_Where are you going?" she asked while going on the alert to try and get him back to the one place she was convinced would benefit him in the long run, his earlier collapse at the funeral almost forcing her heart to stop._

"_I'm going to find Locke……" he tried arguing, but it seemed relentless to weaken the brunette's determination to get him to do the one thing he hadn't done in a while._

"_You need to lie down."_

"_No I don't…."_

"_I strongly advise it." she issued with a firm sense of determination in her voice, but the smile present on her features was enough to make him dismiss the possibility that it rooted from anger. Anger for not having taken care of himself. _

"_Advise it?" he repeated in a sarcastic manner but his failing strength made it hard for him to keep up the tempo._

"_Advice." he tried one last time before his growing exhaustion as a result of the transfusion he had performed earlier got the better of him, but he had the slightest inclination that it was perhaps something more._

"_Okay…..what's going on now?" he managed to ask as his body seemed to shut itself off at an almost rapid pace. The cause clearly that of some medication of some kind. He could decipher at least that much before he was forced to act on it's effects._

"_Lie down, okay. I crushed up some sleeping pills -- put them in your juice." she confessed with a visible trace of guilt for having to resort to this method, but to a certain extent she was only doing it because she cared so damn much for him._

"_Why would you -- you drugged me?" he responded in a genuine state of shock while trying his level best to fight his drooping eyelids._

"_Yeah" she shrugged and replied quite simply forcing Jack to let out the combination of a huff and a chuckle at the same time._

"_Oh, okay." he responded in a dragged out manner due to the fact that his body finally gave into exhaustion. His eyes slowly closing and his mouth opening ever so slightly to elicit a light snoring. A heartbreakingly cute quality for the watchful brunette to absorb._

"_Night." she whispered while a pleasant smile still adorned her calmed features._

_(End of flashback)_

She could still remember every detail of that day, along with the other memories they had so fortunately shared together. _So where did it all go wrong? _She asked herself and almost immediately she felt like kicking herself in the head for it, cause she was the reason this rift occured between them. She was the one who was clearly lying to herself at considering the possibility that Sawyer could be anything more to her than just a friend. She knew that now, but her confusion at the time forced her to become somewhat reckless with her actions and now she was living with the consequences. Now all she had to ask herself was……

Was she strong enough to withstand this?

Would she be able to live with them as just being friends, or would she try what she felt spark within her heart when she learned of Jack's newfound affections for Juliet. The spark to fight for what she believed was rightfully hers all along.

"Kate?" she heard a distinct voice from just outside her tent assumingly asking for some kind of help. A thing she still wasn't used to, but since Jack was away with God knows who she figured that she could hold down the fort in the meantime. So with that in mind she transformed herself into leader mode and took on the obstacles any leader would have to face with their people.

By the end of the day she was wiped out and barely able to stand on her own two feet, but still she found the time to devote herself to the one thing that seemed to make everything better , sinking. Almost like a drug but ten times more soothing, and more effective in helping ease some of those thoughts and doubts still running around in her head.

"So your still trying to sink your way off the island huh." she heard an all familiar voice joke behind her and she couldn't help but elicit a friendly chuckle, although a part of her saddened at the reminder that that's all they were now, friends.

"A girls' gotta try." she shot back with a raise of the eyebrow as he appeared alongside her, her heart racing as always when he came within viewing range of her.

"So where were you today Jack?" she found the audacity to ask him, her mind tired of playing any more games because it really got them nowhere in the long run.

"Decided to take a day off, clear my head." he replied while keeping his gaze firmly rooted to the ground. The awkwardness so apparent to her that it almost forced her to smile, but she reined herself in, in the end and decided to wait for him to elaborate on the sudden change in his ways. _Was Juliet responsible for it? _She thought with a bitter wave running through her heart at the very thought that this woman was already replacing her.

"So how was your day?" he asked instead, her hopes being shattered yet again and all she could do now was put on the semblance of a happy face while feeling nothing but pure anger roaring to rise to the surface.

"Busy." she replied shortly while then trying to avert her gaze from him as much as possible. The view of the calming horizon being her point of focus now.

"I know I heard, and I just wanted to thank you." he replied while showing a genuine sense of gratitude for helping him out in a time of extreme need. The verbal sentiment earning him an acknowledgement, and once they finally made eye contact it was all there. So much so that even a blind person would know it was present. The want, the lust all of it and the light of the nearby campfire's on the beach only forced it to become more noticeable in the dark of the night, but as expected both parties were once again wary of what this might bring. Jack more so than Kate now because over the past few weeks he had grown considerably close to Juliet. Them not having consummated their relationship of course, but a part of him felt that giving it a try wouldn't hurt anyone, especially if the brunette didn't seem to feel for him in the way he originally thought.

Although he was curious to find out why she did it? Why would she still help him out after hearing about what happened a few weeks ago?

"Your…..your welcome" she felt was all she could offer other than what her mind was quickly formulating at the moment, all of which belonged in a more private area and time, she thought ruefully as she washed those thoughts away knowing that it could never happen no matter how much she wanted it, but she couldn't seem to dismiss the possibility, especially as she watched his eyes roam hungrily over the expanse of her slender clothed body.

For the next few minutes they just stood there wordlessly staring at each other, each one's thoughts somehow matching with the others, and it was a shame that they possessed this mutual skill and didn't even know about it. All they could do was show it through their eyes, and Kate was literally begging for him to say something, but in the end he just shook his head briefly to shake away anything he might have become a victim to, and with that the woman across gave up as well. Her hopes being shattered for the third time tonight and she wasn't gonna wait around for a fourth.

"I think I'm gonna call it a night." she suggested while nervously inching her feet towards her destination. His reply coming in the form of an agreeing nod, and her expression managed to sink somewhat further when she registered the fact that he wasn't gonna stop her in any way. So all she was left to do now was slowly trudge her feet along the sandy expanse of what they had called home for the last four months, Jack being left alone to seriously think over his options.

Either he could go back to his tent and to the woman sleeping within it's confines, or he could go with his heart and talk to the woman he still felt more strongly for. The chances of it in fact being mutual looking extremely promising to him now, especially with the almost mirroring look she gave him a few minutes ago. The same one he had felt for her all along, but was afraid to unleash it fully because he knew that if he did then the concept of control wouldn't even figure.

So what would he do?

**Oh yes what will he do, and in the next instalment we'll find out exactly what he'll do, and yes it's going to be a jangsty second chapter, but that's only if you guys want there to be a second chapter in the first place. So it's all up to you guys ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Well here we are guys, the second instalment and I hope you'll like it as much as the first. Thanks for the review guys, and also to my anonymous reviewers JJ, Natalia, Nicole and Philadelphia. All of you guys rock and without further interruption here's the next one, nice and long, hehe ;)**

Enjoy

With each step she took away from him she felt like her heart was breaking all over again, and she knew that the only person who could salvage the pieces was her. She secretly hoped with all her heart that he would have stopped her and then told her everything. In turn allowing her to do the same as well, cause she was felt that she was ready enough to invest in the beginnings of a relationship with this man. The event a few weeks ago assuring her what was really at stake if she continued to shy away from her feelings for the Good Doctor.

When she finally reached the opening of her tent she looked back one last time to see for any hope of a change, but no he was still there presumably thinking about something. He's probably thinking of a nice way to tell me he's had second thoughts about knowing me at all, she bitterly thought to herself as she bent over slightly to let herself through the opening to the place where she knew she would get no sleep tonight. The events of the day gaining too much precedence.

(Meanwhile)

She had honestly never had a better sleep in her entire life, and the addition of the man she unexpectedly felt so much for in the past few weeks made the experience all the more joyful, but now it wasn't there and at first she thought it was just her but as her hand reached out for the place she expected him to be, she could see now that it was vacant. The sight bringing an expression of worry to her, and with that she quickly dressed and vacated the tent in search of him.

The moment she stepped out she spotted him now seated on the edge of the beach. His reason for being there baffling her, but never the less she allowed her feet to designate her towards that very direction. His silhouette so still that it could literally blend into the still horizon.

"Hey" she whispered as she bowed and spoke into his ear, her face gently muzzling his as the verbal exchange was made, and she was more than hurt to not only see him flinch from her, but to also have that same gloomy expression adorning his face. A gesture that only occurred when something was really bothering him, and with that in mind she softened her growing temper to a calm simmer.

"What's wrong?" she chose to ask while maintaining a safe, but relatively close distance to him. The rapid change of temperature in the air willing her to acquire the nearest form of warmth other than the amount radiating from her own body.

"Uh….nothing." he replied almost as if it was a chore for him to respond, his dragged out sigh affirming her of that.

"C'mon you know you can talk to me." she coaxed with a teasing smile while she made note to make the slightest contact with him as she nudged his side. The act failing miserably and with that she wondered if it had to do with the brunette again. The one obstacle in the way of their progression, but she had an inkling that this obsession, as she called it ; would never go away. No matter how much she tried to make him forget.

"Why don't you head in and I'll be in, in a few minutes." he then suggested while twisting his head towards her direction, his smile of assurance showing through even though she could tell it was forced which lead her to put her foot down.

"No."

"No?" he repeated her comment while furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Uhuh. As in I'm not gonna let you stay out here alone beating yourself up with what could have been." she argued, her tone as demanding as her expression was and for some reason the man across from her felt angered by it, but as always he chose to rein it in knowing how it would feel to be shut out by the one person you cared about.

"Sorry." he muttered and relented for the time being although his mind still lay on the one question he had been asking himself ever since he had parted ways with the brunette a few minutes ago. Am I having second thoughts about this arrangement?

It was funny that his mind chose to use the word "arrangement", but to a certain extent his involvement with Juliet started out as nothing but an arrangement to protect her from the man she feared would take her life for being unfaithful to him. However along with that a deeper sense of understanding grew between them, a quality he secretly wished he shared with someone else, but since she was clearly unattainable on numerous occasions then the consolation prize would have to suffice, he reminded himself as he stared at the woman beside him.

The following morning commenced with a usual early start for a majority of the survivors who still chose to reside on the beach waiting for word from the freighter. Their hopes for rescue being slowly diminished as each day passed with no sign of progression.

She had hardly slept through the amazingly long night, and as soon as the first rays of sunshine hit her tent she was out of it's depths like a shot. Her sudden burst of energy to work being the best way to forget the previous night's events.

The first thing she had in mind was to fill up her bottles before hiking into the jungle to see what she could salvage for a strict vegetarian breakfast. She knew it would be easier to see what was left in the island kitchen but she felt she could really use some time alone to perhaps think of what she was gonna do from this point onwards.

Would I go back on the run after all of this?

For some reason she now had a hard time answering that question and she had a good reason as to why that was. That very reason now venturing out of his tent to face the new day, just like she was about to, but she stopped herself short in the end when she noticed a painful addition to this scenery. The very real fact that she had been replaced after all.

"Hmm…. .morning." the blonde hummed as she prepared her arms to wrap around him from behind. Him not even noticing that she was there in the first place cause his eyes still remained firmly planted on the place he felt he should have been instead.

"Jack?" the woman behind him questioned with all curiosity in her tone and she received her answer within seconds when they both caught sight of the brunette surfacing from the depths of her tent. Her actions fairly negligent of regarding them in any way. The best she offered was the slight hint of a smile to the two of them, but Juliet could tell that it was directed more towards him rather than her.

"Excuse me." Jack then expressed much to her surprise as soon as the brunette was out of view. The blonde growing more than tired of this constant interruption.

"Hey" he offered as he approached the place where she had temporarily stopped at. Her brief wide eyed expression of shock eliciting one of confusion out of him, but it soon turned into that of embarrassment when he finally noticed that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Sorry." he muttered ever so softly under his breath and the brunette just smiled to herself while frowning on the inside when he made a move to fold his arms. The action covering the sight that always managed to make her mouth water.

"So where are you going?" he casually inquired off her as she commenced with filling up her bottles for the long day ahead. One she was firmly convinced wouldn't end with the words _"we're rescued", _no matter how much she wished for it.

"Uh……just gonna get some breakfast." she suggested while trying not to give away too much through her gaze, and as expected she sensed that it was going to be considerably hard for him to buy it.

"You know we have that covered now." he replied while looking towards the direction of the half stocked space they had called their island kitchen.

"Yeah, but I felt like being adventurous today." she explained while allowing a smile to creep up onto her features.

"Mind if I come with?" he asked without showing any sign of hesitance in his tone. The suggestion surprising her to say the least.

"Wow, Jack going on a hike rather than tending to his duties. Now that's a thing I never thought I'd say." she joked with him and as much as he wanted to laugh along with her, he couldn't help but glare at her. He knew how to have fun, she just didn't give him the time to show it, sadly.

"So can I take that as a yes." he asked her again just to make sure she was okay with this.

"I….."

"Hey Jack, do you mind helping me with something?" Juliet asked as she approached the group, her sights briefly setting upon the now uncomfortable brunette and then moving back to the person she was talking to.

"Uh………..I kind of had" he tried offering but before she could pipe in Kate decided to end what she sensed would become an argument if she let it run it's course any further.

"It's okay Jack, I'm a big girl so I think I can survive one hike in the jungle alone, but maybe next time." Kate explained to Jack while trying to mask an assuring smile to convince him that she was being truthful with her words, and before he could even argue she was off towards the direction of the jungle. Her form disappearing within it's confines within minutes, leaving him to deal with the reality of the choice he had made.

This was the tenth time she thought about stopping but every time she did, a voice in her head assured her that any more involvement would only complicate matters. So with that she continued on while concentrating on the hike at hand.

An entire hour later and she was returning with a full back pack of fruit. The variation mainly consisting of a few mangoes and some berries but never the less it seemed to be substantial enough for her appetite.

(Back at the beach)

"It's okay Jin. FINE, your wife is gonna be fine." Jack tried communicating with the man across from him who was honestly more concerned on knowing whether his wife was gonna wake up again, and thankfully she did the very next minute.

"Hey, hey just take it easy." Jack coaxed while the weakened woman placed her hand against the recess of her dampened forehead. The pain she felt stinging specifically in the left side of her abdomen not having subsided to a withstand able level, but still it was considerably better than before.

"Do you know what's happening?" Jack inquired as Juliet appeared alongside him to see if she could help out in any way, but she secretly knew what this could have meant. Her past experiences of dealing with this affirming her suspicions considerably, but was she really ready to knowledge him with the seriousness of the situation or should she resort to offering false hope instead.

"Juliet." Jack uttered more determinedly in an effort to get some answers, but all she did was lay a hand on his shoulder while silently asking if she could talk to him alone.

He was reluctant at first to offer the privacy she was asking for, but in the end he relented, especially when she said that it had to do with Sun's condition.

"It's happening Jack." she simply confessed, the distinct limitation of time being a constant reminder for her.

"Shit." he muttered while parading up and down to think of ways to prevent it. His memory of an earlier occurrence with Claire suddenly registering something within his mind.

"The serum." he mouthed into the vacant air before him and then turned towards Juliet repeating the word again and she just furrowed her brow in response.

"I used the last on Claire Jack and using it on Sun this early in the pregnancy could complicate things even more." she guiltily admitted and Jack could sense that she was sincere in her confession.

"So what else can we do?" he asked, his frustration with not being able to fix this only fuelling his anger even more.

"Nothing I'm afraid, but……." was her reply but then a thread of realisation hit her.

"But."

"But what." Jack hissed, the pre longing of this moment forcing his anger to reach it's peak.

"Ben might know." she confessed with reluctance and it was clear enough for the woman outside to hear.

(Meanwhile)

She was now approaching the edge of the jungle and without thinking she accidentally collided into none other than……………..

"Sun?" she expressed in a genuine state of wonderment over seeing her here.

"Kate hi….." Sun replied in relief of finding the one person she had been looking for.

"Sun is everything okay?"

"Can you help me?" was what Sun decided to ask instead and Jin had no option but to follow through with it cause wherever Sun would go so would he.

"With what?" Kate asked and with that Sun went onto briefly explain her problem and the sheer seriousness of what it could result in.

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"Where is she?" Jack asked as he surveyed where he expected Sun to be laying while Juliet already started to form an explanation as her eyes caught sight of a pair of distinct tracks starting from just outside the tent she was talking to Jack in, and then leading into the jungle.

"She's gone to see him Jack." she confessed with a sigh knowing very well what this man was capable of.

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"Sun let's just think about this, I mea……"

"Can you help me or not Kate." Sun expressed with the slight tinge of annoyance in her tone. She knew she was being a tad out of line, but to a certain extent she was tired of being underestimated. Even by her husband at times.

When she saw the Korean women wince one more time in anguish over her condition, Kate finally relented and retrieved the pen and pad she had kept stashed in her back pack. Her side hobby of drawing not fading away in all the years she had been on the run.

"Once you hit the stream, you wanna head north west. Pretty much a straight line for a day and a half." Kate instructed as she roughly drew the location of the place where she knew Ben was being held. Once she handed the sketch over to Sun she looked down in shame of what she was about to confess.

"I'm gonna have to tell Jack, but…I'll give you guys a nice, long head start." she offered and she was considerably relieved to find a smile gracing the Korean woman's lips along with a short sentiment of thanks as she found herself being hugged as well.

"Good luck." the brunette wished them, and as soon as both women broke apart they were suddenly met with a confused Jack and a pissed off Juliet who just roughly passed Kate to talk to Sun.

"Sun this is a bad idea." Juliet tried reasoning while alternating her gaze between Sun and Jack.

"What concern is it of yours. All I am to you is an experiment." the woman confessed with nothing but hatred in her tone and expression.

"Sun that's not……" Jack tried reasoning with her as well, but Sun seemed adamant on sticking to what she had expressed.

"I'm serious Jack, we don't even know who she really is, or what her true intentions are."

"Sun……" Kate surprisingly piped in defending Juliet none the less and Jack was more than coherent to regard with a silent word of thanks shared through his gaze, but he too couldn't help but question what Sun had just expressed. The memory of Juliet telling him that night adding nothing but doubt to his heart.

"If you don't listen to me, your wife will die." Juliet continued on with her plea to make the Korean couple understand her point, and when it still seemed useless she resorted to conversing with…….

"Jin DANGER, your wife is in danger." she tried, taking note to emphasise on the words she hoped would get his attention and understanding.

"Jin your wife will DI……" she barely got the chance to offer before she found the surface of her left cheek being struck violently by the Korean woman.

"Stop it!!" Sun hissed and then made the move to continue on with her journey, leaving Jin to mouth the words………

"Whe-r-e Sun go I ..I go." he guiltily confessed and then followed through with what he had confessed.

"You okay?" Jack then asked as he walked up to the struck woman who just bowed her head to suppress the tears that had already surfaced, but she didn't want him to see that. She wanted him to see the betrayal she felt for having to fight a losing battle yet again. Her belief that he would stick up for her failing to show in any way.

"I'm fine" she more or less grumbled while flinching away from his touch and he couldn't help but wince when she did.

"Look I'm sorry but I……"

"Your what Jack. Your asking yourself that question as well aren't you? Well you know what maybe she's right."

"Juliet pleas….." Jack tried the calming approach, but it seemed useless to the state she had revved herself up to. However in the end she stalled it and then decided to follow up on Sun and Jin to try and convince them one last time.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere you can't follow. You should feel relived though cause now you get to spend quality time with your girlfriend." the blonde shot back as she turned herself around in the right direction to commence with her journey.

"Dammit" he muttered under his breath after he left with nothing to do other than let her go. Although a part of him was oddly relieved to be temporarily freed of this constant battle raging within him, and just when he thought it was over he heard a voice behind reminding him of it again.

"Sorry." was all she felt the decency to offer him because whether she liked to admit it or not this was kind of her fault. It was her presence that stalled him from moving on, and even though the thought of it physically pained her heart, she knew that allowing him the opportunity would somehow save him, but was she really ready to give all of that up just yet. Was he? She truly wondered as she gazed on at the man in front of her. His expression unreadable at this point, but it all became fairly clear with what he said next.

"Why did you come back Kate?" he quietly pleaded off her with his voice and eyes. The emotion within them so raw that it sparked a similar sensation to surface within hers.

"I….I." she couldn't help but stutter, her mind wiped completely blank at this point under his watchful gaze which slowly grew into one of frustration when she failed to give him a straight answer.

"Why?" he asked again, his tone slightly louder but still it maintained a sense of familiarity for the brunette to take comfort in.

"I….I told you Jack, I had to find out……."

"That's bull Kate and we both know it. You went to him didn't you. After everything I……………."

"Please Jack." she pleaded off him as her emotions continued to rise to an almost uncontrollable level, but it failed to show any kind of effect on the man across from her who now placed himself merely inches away from her parted lips, her breath hitching when she felt his hands make the slightest contact with her shivering shoulders.

"What are you afraid of?" he whispered as he searched her tear filled eyes for an answer, her reply coming in the form of an inaudible sob. The action leading her composure to weaken and fall, only to then be embraced by a pair of arms she never thought she'd feel again.

"It's okay, shhh it's okay." he coaxed as he gently swayed them from side to side, lulling her sobs to a slight whimpering and when he sensed she was composed enough to continue, he pulled away from her and commenced with what had been plaguing his mind ever since she came back.

"Talk to me Kate."

"None of this matters anymore Jack." she explained while she felt another wave of emotion hit her at the realisation of her words. It was in fact too late. With that firmly planted in her thought system she slowly disentangled herself from him and slowly turned around to make the first painful step away from him, but he was more than quick to stop her short this time.

"Yeah, well maybe it matters to me." he shouted out from behind her, stilling her completely. The action allowing him the opportunity to gain some sort of advantage as he walked around to place himself in front of her once again.

"Maybe it matters to me because I still lov….."

"Stop Jack, pleas…"

"No, Kate I'm not gonna stop, not until you tell me the truth." he more so demanded off her at this point. Her sheer negation to confess really getting on his last tether.

"Please Jack." she pleaded off him one last time and this seemed to be the final straw for him to control the very extent of his frustration.

"TELL ME!!" he screamed as the growing intensity of the moment was met with the first rumblings of thunder. A steady shower soon following within seconds.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!!" she shouted through the rapidly falling rain. Her vision so blurred by her tears and the rain that she couldn't even anticipate his reaction to what she had so bravely confessed in her opinion. He was the first man she had said it to and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. However she had little time to experience that feeling before her lips were urgently met with another.

The touch so soft and smooth that all she could do was give in and lean further into it. His arms naturally wrapping themselves around her drenched form when he felt a distinct change in her composure. His lips also forming the hint of a smile when he felt hers creeping up around his neck and into the wet beads of his shortly cropped hair. The action allowing his hands to commence with some exploration of their own.

"Jack." she breathed into his open mouth and in response he deepened the kiss even further to the point where she went completely limp in his arms. His opportunity to take this moment to the next stage looking more than likely for him to achieve, but halfway through she stopped him, using all the sense and will power she had left.

"We have to stop……uhhh" she started out in a clear and concise manner but her mind was blurred once again when she felt his lips travel towards the side of her neck and when she failed to protest against this sultry approach, he moved further in. His lips coincidentally picking up on the spot that elicited a heightened moan from her and he groaned in response at knowing that he was the one who could bring that out of her. Or at least he hoped so, and with that shred of uncertainty rousing his mind, he acted on instinct and lightly bit the very area, only to then soothe it in slow circles with his tongue, and Kate just pulled his head closer so he could do it again and again, but still a part of her knew that this was wrong considering the reality of their circumstances, more importantly his relationship with Juliet.

"Jack, what about…..."

"Mmmmmm" he moaned as he continued on with his ministrations. His mind clearly on other things as his left hand cupped her clothed breast, and the current condition of her clothing allowed him more access to feel what lurked beneath. Her own hand responding by grasping the one part of him he hadn't felt hardening with need in ages. Not since he found a valid reason to do so, and this woman was that and more for him.

"We….." she tried again but couldn't find the will to continue, especially when her hands grazed across the very prominent evidence of what she was doing to him.

"Let me in Kate. Please just let me in." he whispered into her ear while pulling her even closer into him when he felt a slight shiver overtake her entire body at his words.

"What about her?" she asked ever so humbly, and he just smiled at her in response while saying……

"I care about her Kate, I care about her a lot but no one could ever replace my love for you. No one." he sweetly confessed with nothing but strength and confidence in his tone, and for the first time in a long while she allowed an honest smile to grace her features. The sentiment allowing a face splitting one to adorn his right before he placed his lips on what he believed was the rightful place they belonged.

However what started out as a delicate engagement slowly turned into a deeper stage where they found that this simply wasn't enough. They wanted more and they wanted it now, more so Jack who kept grinding into her inner thigh almost furiously, and the action only caused her to moisten in the very area she felt aching for him just as bad.

"My tent isn't far." she moaned into his ear and then sucked the edge of his earlobe into her mouth.

"I don't think I can make it that far." he exclaimed right before he briefly leaned down and grasped her entire form into his arms. The change in position allowing both parties better access to each other.

Jack's mouth was now moving wildly over any visible skin he could find and if it wasn't for a distant cry heard in the distance then Kate was sure he would have finished what they had started not so long ago.

"Ughhh" he simply groaned while lowering his forehead onto her chest in frustration and defeat.

"Hey, think of it this way…..." she started to instruct while placing her hands on either side of his head to gain his concentration.

"The sooner you tend to this person and the sooner we can get to this." she continued on and with each word expressed she placed a light kiss on each part of his face, her last ending on his lips, and he was more than reluctant to let go of them, but he was forced to in the end when they heard the nearby commotion again.

"Fine." he relented, but his frustration was still clearly evident within his composure and the brunette longed to take that away from him. Maybe tonight, she thought as her mind already started with the beginnings of a plan.

As expected he spent the rest of the day tending to his usual duties and by the time he was done she was nearly dozing off herself but the sudden shuffling at the entrance to her tent woke her up completely.

"Lie back." the voice instructed as they kneeled at the entrance of the tent and when she followed through with the instruction knowing very well who it was, the form followed through with spreading themselves deliciously over her.

"Mmmmmmm" she moaned as he rubbed his stubble against the edge of her jaw while grinding his pelvis into hers in a gradual circling movement that soon gained pressure and pace when she commenced with some of her own skills. Although that all came to a surprising halt when Kate could sense that something else was on his mind.

"Your worried about Sun aren't you." she spoke while conveying some of her obvious worry as well through her voice.

"It's just things don't seem to be going right at all. I mean we still haven't heard from the freighter and now Sun is goi…….." he started out in his usual style of beating himself up and Kate just flipped them over and then planted her face merely inches away from his.

"You listen to me Jack Shepherd. This isn't your fault cause your not the only person living on this island for crying out loud. Besides from now on your gonna have an extra pair of hands helping with whatever you need."

For some reason he couldn't help but harden underneath her in response and she was quick to catch onto where his mind ran as a result to what she had just expressed.

"Why don't we give your proposal a test try." Jack teased as her hands already started to roam over the expanse of his rapidly breathing chest. The layer restricting her from exploring it fully being removed within seconds much to brief look of shock which was replaced by one of please when he felt her fingers run though the light covering of hair on his chest and then inching lower and lower, stopping at the button to his jeans.

"Wanna see what else these hands can do." Kate suggested with a raise of the eyebrows and all he could offer her as a suitable response was the combination of a nod and moan of sure approval which caused her smile to grow wider and her hands to finally undo what was begging to be freed. The evidence literally bursting to be touched, and Kate was momentarily shocked, not at his urgency but at the sheer size of him. He was thick from root to tip and he wasn't even fully erect yet.

"Like what you see?" he asked as he placed his hand ever so gently on the side of her face to gain her focus once again which was a hard task to achieve and he couldn't help but groan when the reason became known to him. Although his question was soon answered when she doubled over to place her mouth on the beginning of what she felt tasted like pure heaven. It's taste so bitter but sweet at the same time, and within seconds she was accommodated with a hunger to acquire more.

All he could see now was a mass of brown curls slowing moving up and down over him, and as much as he enjoyed the feeling of her mouth loving him in this way he couldn't help but feel slightly left out of the experience. So in an effort to gain some level ground he gently stilled her ministrations and pulled her into his arms, her still clothed body rubbing against his half naked one. A thing he grew considerably unhappy about and as if almost sensing his unease she sat up and undid the white blouse with blue stripes. The elements of what exactly lay beneath extremely pleasing to the eye.

Once he gained a fairly good knowing of her upper body with his hands and mouth, he then moved to her lower extremities. His fingers silently asking her what he wanted to see and finally feel against him and with a knowing smile shared between them she got up from him completely and rid herself of any other layers that continued to stand as yet another obstacle for them to come together. Him taking note to do the same as he also remained an engrossed spectator to her little striptease, and when the game was finally over both parties just froze to look at each other in all their glory right before Jack just sat up and growled out while pulling her into his arms to start with what he was aching to achieve.

"I think we've waited long enough for this." he strained to utter as he tried to hold off the need to connect them for the first time.

"Too long." she replied while finishing the job for them. The achievement of finally arriving at the end of that tunnel being well worth the wait.

The following morning and everyone woke to yet another new day, but little did they know that it would be unlike no other, especially for a certain green eyed brunette who never felt more complete in the arms of a man she wasn't afraid to love anymore and she knew he felt the same judging by the step they had finally taken to dismiss any form of doubt.

"Morning" she exclaimed with a beaming smile when she felt his lips moving tiredly along the frame of her slender neck. His lips soon being met with hers, but before they took the chance to deepen it, they were suddenly interrupted by the huge commotion outside. Their first choice was to simply ignore it but the words _"They're here, we're rescued"_ got their immediate attention. Without thinking he willed for her focus and attention, and when it was achieved, he asked her one simple question…….

"Second Thoughts?"

All she did in response to his question was to take his entwined hand and then place it directly over her heart. The steady beat bringing nothing but hope to his.

"No, none whatsoever."

**THE END**

**So what do you think guys?**


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